$6 million coastal farm worker affordable housing plan approved by San Mateo County supervisors

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved spending nearly $6 million to build affordable housing for farmworkers on the coast.

The province will provide $5,999,360 to purchase and install 47 manufactured homes for farmworkers and their families, including 19 households displaced following the disaster. the January 23, 2023 mass shooting at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay.

The homes will be located on five acres about a mile from downtown Half Moon Bay, just south of Highway 1.

“Every family deserves a safe and healthy place to live,” Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 includes most of the county’s agricultural land, said in a statement. “We absolutely need to create opportunities for farmworkers to live in San Mateo County, as well as invest resources in stabilizing the agricultural economy that provides agricultural jobs.”

Supervisors awarded the construction contract to Bigfoot Homes of Santa Cruz. The required permits for the project, including a coastal development permit and construction permits, are still being assessed by the competent authorities.

“It’s a great day in San Mateo County to see this project moving forward,” Mueller said.

A 2016 report commissioned by the province found the need to “improve the quality, availability and affordability of housing” for agricultural workers.

The problem took on added urgency in the aftermath of the mass shooting that claimed the lives of seven farm workers in Half Moon Bay, exposing the dire living conditions many farm workers face.

Since the shooting, the city of Half Moon Bay has identified a city-owned parcel at 880 Stone Pine Road for farmworker housing. The province, the city and numerous partners are working to create a new neighborhood for farm workers and their families.

At least 28 units will target ownership by farmworker households, with assistance from California’s Joe Serna Jr Farmworker Housing Grant Program.

The county said manufactured homes offer the opportunity for lower initial construction costs and faster construction, with the added benefit of providing a path to homeownership for extremely low-income individuals and families.

San Mateo County has developed a draft concept plan for the project in response to comments from community members in recent months.